Reviews and More

If you’re considering plastic surgery, then you probably have a lot of questions or concerns about the various procedures that are available to you. Of course your doctor is ultimately the best source of information and you should base your decisions accordingly. However, there are probably times when you simply want basic info without having to go in for a consultation. That’s when a website like PlasticSurgery101.net can really help.

PlasticSurgery101.net provides reliable plastic surgery information that can help you make preliminary choices about the procedures you’re most interested in or lay the groundwork for more complex questions that you can bring to your doctor when you’re ready for a professional consultation.

On this website you can learn about the most common procedures (rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, face lift, tummy tuck, liposuction, etc.) and even view pictures that will give you an idea of how the procedures work. The explanations are comprehensive, easy to understand, and tell you what you can expect to go through before, during, and after your surgery. Plus, there are many helpful diagrams throughout the articles that further illustrate the various procedures.

Overall, PlasticSurgery101.net looks like an excellent source of plastic surgery information. Remember that you should always consult with a licensed surgeon before actually undergoing any procedures, but until you get to that point, PlasticSurgery101.net is a great place to start!

Jennifer Aniston was one of my favorite television actresses when she was on Friends, but her movies have been somewhat hit or miss for me. I usually like her stuff, but sometimes get the feeling that she keeps rehashing the Rachel Green character over and over. When Rumor Has It came out, there was no question that I would see it; the only question was whether the film would be a hit or miss for me.

The basic premise of Rumor Has It is rather intriguing. It’s set up as sort of a sequel to The Graduate, and thats that specious connection a step further. In the film’s reality, the original author of the book based the story on “real people” in the Pasadena area. The real people of the story, of course, are the characters that populate Rumor Has It.

Aniston plays Sarah Huttinger, whose grandmother (played by Shirley MacLaine was in all likelihood the original Mrs. Robinson. Benjamin Braddock might have been based on Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), who now is a dot com millionaire and lives up the coast in San Francisco. Before Sarah can get married to her fiancé Jeff (Mark Ruffalo), she must find out her family’s history (and her own) by tracking down Burroughs and confronting him about his affairs with her mother and grandmother.

(I’ve made the plot sound a bit confusing, but I assure you that the movie is actually pretty easy to follow.)

My Reaction: I’m not big on romantic comedies, but I found that I enjoyed sitting through Rumor Has It. That’s not to say that it was a particularly good film, but it was entertaining in some parts and watchable on the whole. Aniston was at her girl-next-door best, and Shirley MacLaine was outstanding as the grandmother who might have been the original Mrs. Robinson. Heck, even Kevin Costner was charming, and I haven’t liked any of his movies in over a decade!

Yes, Rumor Has It is predictable in many places and the plot is not as tight as it could be. But if you just want a couple hours of laid back entertainment, then this film will serve you well. I give it 6.0 stars out of 10.

If you’ve got a great product or service to sell, then chances are you’re going to want to create an online presence sooner rather than later. By taking your business online, you can reach customers all over the world and complete sales and other transactions 24/7 while absorbing very low overhead costs. In fact, these days there’s really no excuse for you not to have your own website — unless, of course, you don’t have the time or the skills required to get a professional looking design in place.

That’s where a company like SiteProPlus comes into play. SiteProPlus offers a unique service that busy entrepreneurs and small business owners would do well to take advantage of. They’ll create a custom website design for you without any obligation on your part at all. If you don’t like it, you can walk away and continue your search elsewhere. But if you do like it, then all you have to do is sign up for a SiteProPlus hosting package and you’ll get your custom design thrown into the bargain absolutely free. What’s more, SiteProPlus will have your new site up and running within 72 hours, which means you’ll be able to begin operations in just a few days.

If website design is the only thing preventing you from taking your business online, then I encourage you to take a closer look at the services that SiteProPlus offers and request more information from them today.

I’ve been meaning to see Vanity Fair ever since it came out in 2004, but for one reason or another, I didn’t get around to it until last night. The movie is of course based on the William Makepeace Thackeray novel of the same name, a novel that I’ve read — and enjoyed — twice. That’s no small feat considering it’s a 900+ page tome! Anyway, my excitement and anticipation for the movie increased greatly when I heard that Reese Witherspoon would be playing Becky Sharp. I couldn’t wait to see what she would do with the character.

As with any adaptation, there are bound to be differences from the original material. My review isn’t going to focus on these differences; instead, I’m going to consider the movie on its own.

Vanity Fair focuses on Becky Sharp, a young woman with no fortune and no family who is left to try to make her own way in the world. She leaves finishing school with a single friend, Amelia Sedley (played by Romola Garai) and not much else. Becky goes to stay with Amelia for a few days, immediately setting her sights on Amelia’s brother Joseph. Right from the start we see that Becky intends to marry well so that she will be taken care of.

Anyway, Jos is bound for India and Becky thinks he would make a suitable husband. Amelia encourages the match because she truly likes Becky and would love to have her as a sister. But Amelia’s own betrothed, Captain George Osborne, does not want a low-class girl in his family so he tells Jos not to even think about Becky anymore. Jos gives up and heads off to India by himself.

There’s nothing left for Becky to do except earn her keep as a governess. She accepts a post at the Crawley residence, where she meets Sir Pitt, his sons Pitt and Rawdon, and his rich sister Matilda. Matilda takes an instant liking to Becky, and brings her away from Crawley Hall as her companion. These good feelings change, however, when Becky discloses that she has secretly married Rawdon. That news is not well received, and Becky is kicked out of Ms. Crawley’s house while Rawdon is disinherited.

The two live genuinely seem to love each other, so they don’t mind living in relative poverty. Rawdon is a gambler and his winnings provide them with just enough. Becky manages the household and uses her charms to get credit from local merchants. But one day their money runs out completely, and just when their furniture is about to be taken away, Lord Steyne steps in to save the day.

Lord Steyne not only pays their debts, but invites them to social functions at his home, which serves to restore their place in society. Of course his attentions don’t come without a price. He demands sexual favors from Becky, and when Rawdon finds out, he takes their son and leaves her.

More than a decade later, we see Becky working as a casino girl in Germany. One day Jos Sedley comes in and says that he’s there to rectify the mistake he made all those years ago. They go off to India together where they presumably live on as husband and wife.

Through it all, Amelia has her own storyline that deals with George, George’s falling out with his father, the upbringing of their child, and her relationship with George’s friend Dobbin.

My Reaction: I found that I enjoyed this film a great deal. Yes, it was very long and actually rather boring in some parts, but I thought Witherspoon’s performance made the whole thing worth it. Her take on Becky Sharp is quite different than how the character is presented in the novel. Here, Witherspoon’s Becky, while still an obvious social climber, isn’t quite so heartless or cold as in the book. She has many redeeming qualities and gives off the feeling of being an underdog rather than a ruthless schemer.

The supporting cast was great, too. I thought James Purefoy was excellent as Rawdon, as was Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as George. The actors made me want to pay attention even when the plot was a bit lacking in tension or excitement.

Overall, I thought this was a good film. It’s not quite the adaptation that I thought it would be and didn’t follow the book as closely as I would have liked, but judging on its own merits I give it 7.0 stars out of 10.

For the most part, my husband and I have a very good relationship. We’ve been together for a total of 10 years (married for six), and in that time we’ve learned to appreciate each other’s good qualities and tolerate the bad, which I think is the key to going the distance.

Even though my husband and I get along so well, I’m still interested in reading about how to maintain a healthy relationship. Towards that end, I’m always on the lookout for great resources that can provide me with solid advice in this area. Today I discovered an interesting website called Relationship Headquarters, as well as its Understanding Men blog. The website has lots of insightful relationship articles that deal with topics such as fear of commitment, clear communication, and what men really want, while the blog gives the Relationship Doctor’s opinion and comments on articles or information found on other sites around the Internet.

The advice on RelationshipHeadquarters.com and the Understanding Men blog is suitable for both married and single people, so I recommend taking a look if you want to build better relationships now and in the future.

The latest episode of How I Met Your Mother was called “Arrivederci, Fiero” and paid homage to Marshall’s trusty car. Here’s what happened:

Marshall and Ted are in the Fiero getting ready to celebrate a momentous occasion. The odometer is about to hit the 200,000 mile mark and the guys will celebrate with Cuban cigars. Unfortunately, Marshall gets distracted by Ted and hits a pothole, which causes the car to sputter and die. The guys have it towed to a shop where they learn that the prognosis is not good. The car will require $3,000 worth of work, and even then there would be no guarantee that it will run.

As Marshall faces this tough decision, the gang reflect back on all the adventures they’ve had with the Fiero. It was in that car that Marshall and Ted spent a snowbound night during college and finally became best friends. It was in that car that Lily and Robin transported food (strictly against the rules), spilled said food, and then orchestrated a cover-up to deceive Marshall — all of which led to those two becoming best friends. It was in that car that Barney first learned to drive and crashed into some bushes going about 5 mph.

All of those great memories convince Marshall that the Fiero deserves a dignified death. So he sells it for scrap metal and the gang use the money to pay their bar tab for the next two nights.

My Reaction: I thought it was nice to have a Marshall-centered episode for a change. I thought the flashbacks were funny (I can totally see Ted being pretentious and all philosophical in college) and were perfectly balanced with scenes from the present. I could have done without that stupid Proclaimers song getting stuck in my head, though! Overall, “Arrivederci, Fiero” was pretty good. Now let’s see if the next ep makes any mention of Robin and Ted living together!

Part of the fun of watching the Oscars has always been to check out what the stars are wearing. I can always count on seeing a several elegant creations, as well as ensembles that probably should never have been unveiled. This year, I thought Reese Witherspoon and Leonardo DiCaprio both looked fabulous, while Anne Hathaway and Kirsten Dunst made mistakes with their choices.

Maybe Hathaway and Dunst should have taken some time to read Belisi Blog: How to Look Like an Oscar Starlet before they left home last Sunday night. They would have gotten fashion tips on everything from skin care to bra straps to shoes, and surely would have made a better impression on the audience.

I’ll likely never attend an event as big or prestigious as the Oscars, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about my appearance. I’ll be sure to keep checking The Diva’s Dream for advice on how to look my best no matter where I’m going!

I thought I’d shake things up a bit tonight and do a movie meme. I’ve done a couple of these things before on different blogs, but never on this one. At any rate, here are some questions that I came across while surfing the net today:

1. Name a movie you have seen more than 10 times.
Silence of the Lambs
Thelma & Louise
Steel Magnolias
The Breakfast Club
Forrest Gump

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Goonies
Top Gun

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Matt Damon
Edward Norton
Colin Firth

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Tom Cruise

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Pulp Fiction

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
My Fair Lady
The Sound of Music

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
See #6.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Finding Neverland

9. Name a movie that you own.
Good Will Hunting

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
Mark Wahlberg

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in?
No.

12. Ever made out in a movie theater?
Yes.

13. Name a movie you keep meaning to see but haven’t gotten around to it.
Lord of the Rings

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Yes. Evita and Blade.

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Forrest Gump

16. Popcorn?
Of course!

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting or watching them at home)?
Once a month.

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
The Pursuit of Happyness

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Action.

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Star Wars Episode IV

The process of listing and selling my home was one of the most tedious and frustrating things I’ve ever gone through in my life. First of all, it took several months to find a buyer even though the realtor told me she could move the property much faster than that. Second, I wasn’t able to get the price I was hoping for, but by the time the offer actually came in, I was desperate and had to accept. And third, I ended up paying substantial broker fees even though I wasn’t satisfied with the service. That whole experience makes me wish I had heard about CashHomeBuyers.com a long time ago!

CashHomeBuyers.com is run by investors who specialize in purchasing, fixing up, and reselling residential properties. Everyone associated with the company seems to abide by the motto I buy houses because that’s precisely what they all do.

With CashHomeBuyers.com, you don’t have to go through the hassles that you’d normally have to deal with when using traditional realtors. For example, there won’t be endless requests to fix up the house or an interminable wait for the perfect buyer to come along. Instead, CashHomeBuyers.com will give you a same-day quote, and if you both like what you see, you can close the deal in as little as 3 to 4 days!

So if you’re looking to move your house quickly, I suggest giving CashHomeBuyers.com a try. Visit the site for more info or to get a quote today.

Episode 2×18 of Prison Break was called “Wash,” and continues the season-long tradition of Agent Mahone being able to discern Michael’s plans within a minute of assessing the situation. Sigh. Other than that, I thought “Wash” was actually a decent episode. Here’s what else happened.

Michael/Linc/Sara: They listen to the exonerating evidence (which the audience doesn’t get to hear for some reason) and then try to find someone who can help them use the evidence to clear Linc. With Paula’s help (she’s the one who took LJ into hiding) they settle on a guy named Cooper Green. He has ties with the Justice Department and will know the best play for this evidence.

Michael contacts Green and arranges a meeting in a nearby park. They make Green jump through a bunch of hoops (throw away his suit coat, walk into a fountain, take long, winding passages into a basement) before meeting Michael, and they ascertain that he was being tailed by other guys in suits.

While all this is going on, Sara goes to her father’s grave, and suddenly finds herself face to face with Bruce Bennett, the longtime family friend who she thought tried to have her killed soon after her father was murdered. But Bennett insists he didn’t have anything to do with that. Instead, he says his phones were tapped and that’s how the would-be assassins figured out where to find her. Anyway, Bennett says he can help, so he ends up taking her to the real Cooper Green.

Sara immediately alerts Linc to the fact that there’s an imposter with Michael. Linc goes racing off through the park to try to find his brother, but Michael already has the situation under control. He tripped up the imposter with some question about asthma medicine and took the guy out. They make their way back to the hotel to meet up with Sara and the real Green to discuss the evidence.

Sucre/Maricruz: Sucre and Maricruz head to some remote part of Mexico where Sucre’s aunt lives. They think they’ll be safe there.

Bellick: Waltzes into Mahone’s office demanding money for helping Mahone find Haywire. Mahone puts him in his place and then sends him off to Mexico to chase down the latest Sucre leads.

Kellerman: Buys a big-ass gun and says goodbye to his sister. Apparently, he’s on a mission to assassinate Carolyn.

C-Note: He tries to contact Michael via the goldfinch website he overheard Michael telling Sucre about. But Michael hasn’t responded to any of the messages C-Note left on the site. Mahone gets a call from Kim saying that they’ve got a lead on Scofield and Burrows, so C-Note is no longer an asset. Kim orders Mahone to have C-Note killed but to make it look like a believable accident.

Mahone tells C-Note that he promises to take care of C-Note’s wife and daughter if C-Note uses what’s in the package Mahone will send him later. It turns out to be a noose, and the last shot of the ep is C-Note taking a step off his bed with the noose around his neck.

T-Bag: Sees an ad for a psychiatrist who looks a bit like him. He schedules an appointment, goes in, kills the shrink, and assumes his identity. Later, he books a flight to Thailand with a connection in Chicago and one more international stop. His backpack with all the cash in it isn’t going to be allowed as carry-on, so he has to check it in. Yeah, right. Another coincidence: T-Bag ends up on the same flight as Bellick.

Mahone: Shows signs of being human. He looked like he really felt bad for C-Note and really was going to take it upon himself to make sure the wife and daughter were well cared for. He also wavered a bit when he realized that Burrows is innocent. I predict that he’ll have a change of heart where the fugitives are concerned and will end up helping them in some way.

My Reaction: I liked the Michael/Linc/Sara bits and also the Mahone screen time. I still think it’s ridiculous that Mahone can figure out exactly what’s going on in 2.6 seconds flat, but whatever. T-Bag, Bellick, and Sucre were boring as usual, but I thought the C-Note scenes were touching and I finally felt bad for that character. In addition, I have to say that I think Kellerman is finally growing on me. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t so damn smug in this episode. At any rate, I thought this was a good one and can’t wait to see the next ep!